Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Sydney: Sally Shipard, who helped Australia win the 2010 AFC Women's Asian Cup, was named the 2012 Female Footballer of the Year at the fourth edition of the annual Australian Football Awards held on Wednesday.
Shipard is one of the most recognisable faces of the women's game today. Earmarked for super stardom at any early age, she made her senior international debut for the Australia in 2004 as a late substitute in a 2-0 win over China in Beijing.
Since then the likeable ball-player has made 59 A-International appearances for the Matildas and has struck four goals, including a memorable long-range effort against Mexico in the 2010 Peace Queen Cup in Korea.
An Olympian in 2004, as the games returned to their spiritual home in Athens, Greece, Shipard has experience of all the major women's international competitions having been a member of the under-19 and under-20 teams that participated in the age-grade World Cups in Thailand and Russia respectively before playing in the 2007 FIFA World Cup in China and more recently the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany.
Her international highlight though was undoubtedly earlier in 2010 as she played a major part in the remarkable AFC Asian Cup success which culminated in a penalty shoot-out victory over DPR Korea.
On the domestic front, Shipard started her career with Wagga Wagga PYC before representing the AIS and NSW Sapphires. Having missed the 2009 season with Canberra United due to a lack of international clearance from Barcelona, Shipard entered the Westfield W-League 2010/11 season full of excitement and in a determined mood to prove she still has the ability to command a game from the heart of the field.
Shipard had a stellar Westfield W-League 2011/12 season and was a significant contributor to Canberra United claiming their first Westfield W-League Premiership and Championship and also claimed the prestigious Julie Dolan Medal for the player of the year. After the Westfield W-League 2011/12 season, Shipard also had a short successful stint with Bayer 04 Leverkusen in Germany.
The Australian Football Awards brings together all levels of the sport from the grass roots football community through to the ranks of the Socceroos and Matildas, providing a unique opportunity to recognise and reward outstanding achievements.